In his new book, “Mortal Republic: How Rome Fell Into Tyranny,” Edward J. Watts writes that his account will allow “readers to better appreciate the serious problems that result both from politicians who breach a republic’s political norms and from citizens who choose not to punish them for doing so.”

On this week’s podcast, Yascha Mounk, who reviewed “Mortal Republic” for us, talks about Rome and also about the current day. “The image that he conjures is this analogy to Donald Trump,” Mounk says of Watt. “The idea, in my mind, that I got reading the book, is that we now stand at the beginning of this long process of decline, potentially.”

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Also on this episode, Jonathan Lethem discusses his essay about how, in the past year or two, a fresh wave of fake prescription drugs have flooded the bookshelves. “What interests me most is when real concoctions aren’t enough,” Lethem says, “when the writer has to make up something that doesn’t exist.”

Also this week, Alexandra Alter has news from the publishing world; and Gregory Cowles, Emily Eakin and John Williams talk about what people are reading. Pamela Paul is the host.